


The Whispering Canal

by AugustStories



Series: Personal Writing Challenge October 2019 [19]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fragile Egos, Getting Lost, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), POV Remus Lupin, Sad Sirius Black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 14:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21163127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AugustStories/pseuds/AugustStories
Summary: Remus loved his friends.He was also very tempted to leave them right in this damned place and apparate home to his warm bed.





	The Whispering Canal

**Author's Note:**

> To support my friend with her inktober challenge, I made myself a writing challenge so she wouldn't be handling prompt works on a daily basis alone. I will be posting all works that aren't based on original writing where you guys wouldn't understand the context, this is day 23.

When your friends had egos bigger than their heads could contain, you acted very carefully in situations where their insecurities reared their ugly sides. People with big egos usually had very dramatic reactions upon realizing they couldn't do something after all or had failed at something they were reluctant to admit was one of their weak points.

And Remus Lupin had become a champion at keeping a level head.

One had to if your best friends were Sirius Black and James Potter who had chaotic and destructive mixed into their very blood and bones. And maybe James had mellowed out a bit since graduation and moving in with Lily but Sirius had inhaled that brushed off egocentric world view and taken it to a whole new level.

Sirius had reached the point where he believed himself invincible and nothing could go wrong in his life anymore, he was on his personal road to victory.

Especially when drunk, oh so especially when he was drunk.

It was like herding cats, even with there being two people herding and only one damn cat.

Thankfully James had taken Sirius' wand the second they had finally gotten him out of the pub and now it was only a matter of getting Sirius somehow back to his flat. They couldn't risk apparation, even side-by-side, Sirius was too wasted to not risk injuring himself and with his flat being in that muggle only area they would have to really land on that one safe spot. No way that could work.

So walking it was.

James claimed he knew the way.

Not questioning that was Remus' first mistake but he was just too busy to keep Sirius from wandering off, times weren't simple anymore, danger could lurk around every corner and he should have never agreed to going out to the pub to get drunk. He got it, Sirius wanted to forget and getting completely plastered was a very good way of getting that for at least one night. 

And one night of undisturbed sleep was seriously was Sirius needed the most right now, and Remus rather he got there with alcohol than with potions. 

Regulus' death laid back a week now, a week where Sirius had first pretended that it wasn't affecting him at all and that he could have cared less to have lost the brother he hadn't spoken to in over a year by then. Remus and James had seen through the bullshit from the first second and they had just counted down the time it took until Sirius broke. And it had happened, and in true Sirius Black fashion he flat out refused to deal with his grief in a way that could lead to him talking about his emotions.

He was either throwing himself head over heels into fights or hid himself away in his dark room to be alone.

Which in turn had switched James' protective streak into a complete overdrive and made Remus put on the kiddie gloves when handling either of his best friends.

It was amazing.

So there he was, trying to keep a moping drunk Sirius under control while also tentatively getting a testy James to realize that he had gotten them terribly lost. They were at a canal and last time Remus had checked out the area around Sirius' flat, there hadn't been a canal anywhere in sight or walking distance.

Especially not one that was clearly haunted.

Remus' instincts were going haywire, which didn't help his situation at all, there were whispering voices seemingly coming from all sides and it was driving him and the wolf completely bonkers.

"James," he began after pulling Sirius back from the edge of the canal for the fifth time. "I'm not questioning your directional skills," he was, he one hundred percent was because they were lost, he just couldn't say that, "but this place is giving me the creeps." He pointed out and James turned around where he had walked a few steps ahead, he had pulled his coat collar up against the chill that had fallen over them. Only after they had walked along this bloody canal. 

"I know where we are going," James insisted and there was a challenge in his eyes to dare and question him on it, Remus wouldn't. James was worried about too many things these days to not be worn thin, and Sirius' obvious depression had given James' so unfailing composure fatal cracks.

"Alright, are you gonna tell me, too, that you're not hearing voices?" Remus wanted to know and winced when another whisper so close to his right ear caused shivers to run down his back.

He would prefer it if the ghosts at least showed themselves.

Sirius didn't care about any of it, he was lost in his head and humming the most morose song he knew rather loudly.

"Yeah, I hear them, too," James grunted and looked at yet another street sign at yet another crossing A mean friend would have long since dropped Sirius on him and apparated home where a warm bed, a soft pillow and a beautiful book was awaiting them to take him away from chilly nights and constant danger for at least a few hours. Remus Lupin wasn't a douchebag so he waited patiently for James to make a decision and then dragged Sirius along to follow him.

At least they were leaving this freaking whispering canal now.

He could give James another half an hour before he called the Knight Bus.

But they both owed him, big time.

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being super short because I really really couldn't get anything into my head with this title.


End file.
